Dearest Church Family,
In my first year with you I wrote about the beauty of the Lilac Tree in the parsonage yard in April. It sits quite close to the house which makes watching its spring-green buds slowly unfurl a daily joy. Lilacs are my favorite flower, and my family knows that once those lavender blossoms arrive, the whole house will be filled with their fragrance.
After sharing about this, your previous minister, Rev. Andrea, reached out and told me that it was a gift to their once third-grader (who is now in their late 20’s!) on Arbor Day, when their school had someone come to talk about trees. She shared about how it grew but never blossomed, and that after eleven years of waiting they concluded it was never going to happen, only for blossoms to appear that very spring and every subsequent spring since!
Mother Earth can be Mysterious, can’t She? It’s easy as humans to think we’ve got Her number, but I have found Nature to be a wonderful way to practice humility. And, like Rev. Andrea, patience. Contemplative spiritual practices are disciplines geared towards patience: stilling our souls, plumbing the depths, and slowing our minds and bodies, so that we might let go and patiently glimpse the something more. This month, we are focusing on the theme of Interdependence which, when explored with this contemplative spirit, is a treasure-trove of something more.
The story of the Lilac Tree at the parsonage is a beautiful one. It speaks to connections, patience, hope, wonder, the fullness of time, known and unknown joys, the wisdom of changing seasons, and abundance–all from one tree gifted to your previous ministers’ child nearly two decades ago! How utterly magnificent to know that its story is long, varied and lives on. As do our stories and lives, right? In this sense, we aren’t dissimilar from this beautiful Tree!
This April, I hope you will come to church as much as you can. There’s something good and healing happening here, that I don’t want you to miss out on. We benefit from your presence, your stories, the spirit that you bring, the connection we feel when you are here and the longing we feel when you’re not.
Reach out if you need to, take good care of yourselves and one another. Move gently on this blessed Earth and stop and smell the lilacs when you can…
With love,
Rev. Sophia
You might find some of these spiritually-grounded resources helpful this month. Green Sanctuary Committee is also a resource at FPW and I hope you will read their reflection and engage in one of their many upcoming offerings.
Thich Nhat Hahn’s 10 Love Letters to the Earth
UU Ministry for the Earth’s Spiritual Gatherings
UU Ministry for the Earth’s Spring for Change 2024 Events
Reverend Sophia Lyons
Rev. Sophia is committed to radical welcome and spreading the good news that is our bold Unitarian Universalist faith. Some of her areas of interest include interfaith partnerships, addictions ministry, spiritual direction, and working towards collective liberation for all. Rev. Sophia aspires to live her life and fulfill her ministry guided by spiritual seeking, big love, and the seven principles of Unitarian Universalism.